Andy Serkis Says THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM Will Feel Like THE LORD OF THE RINGS Trilogy
Andy Serkis is officially headed back to Middle-earth as an actor and director, and he just gave a promising update on The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. It’s exactly the kind of reassurance fans of the original trilogy have been hoping for.
In a recent interview with Collider while promoting his upcoming adaptation of Animal Farm, Serkis shared that while the film is still in its early stages, real movement is happening soon.
Prep work is ramping up in the next few months, with filming set to begin in early to mid-2026. The release is slated for December 2027. Serkis talked about the film saying:
“We’re very early on in the process. We’ve been talking about the film over the course of the last year. We’re about to start a period of prep in the next few months or so.
“We will be shooting in the early to mid-part of next year, I guess, and then it’ll be as long as it takes to shoot, which — it’s a sizable movie — all ready for a December 2027 release.
“I’m incredibly excited to go back and work with my friends and family in New Zealand and actually do something which is, I think, going to be surprising, and yet very much part of the lore and the feel of the trilogy.
“The sensibility of it will feel, I think, close to that, and yet we’re investigating in greater depth the character formerly known as Smeagol, but mostly known as Gollum.”
Serkis is aiming for the same tone, scope, and heart of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy. That should ease some anxiety from fans still smarting from the uneven Hobbit films or skeptical of more Tolkien spin-offs.
Set during the events of The Fellowship of the Ring, The Hunt for Gollum follows Gandalf’s pursuit of Gollum after realizing Bilbo’s ring is actually the One Ring. It’s an interquel that fills in a crucial gap, and Serkis, who will also reprise his iconic role as Gollum, is the only confirmed cast member so far. But, Ian McKellen is also expected to return.
Lord of the Rings fans are pretty protective of the original trilogy’s legacy. Expanding on that world is always a high-wire act. But Serkis isn’t rushing in. He’s taking his time, planning carefully, and grounding the project in what made the originals so special. His deep connection to the material, and to Gollum in particular, makes him a uniquely qualified guide for this chapter. I hoipe that he pulls it off.
If this movie delivers on what Serkis is promising, a character-focused journey with the emotional and mythic weight of the trilogy, it could be a powerful return to form.